Tonewood Brewing – Chief

“Tonewood Brewing is committed to creating flavorful and exciting craft beer. Using the finest ingredients and masterful brewing techniques, we apply uncompromising attention to quality and consistency. ​ Proudly brewed in Oaklyn, New Jersey – Tonewood Brewing is home to a 15-barrel brewhouse. This ideal size allows us to be creative, often. While our core brand of beers are self distributed to bars and liquor stores in New Jersey, guests can find a wide variety of rotating taps that utilize seasonal ingredients at our tasting room.” Tonewood Brewing

This hazy straw colored pale ale pours with a thin soapy looking head. It releases aromas of Yuzu, Tangerine peel, Rose petals, and a distinct earthiness. Dank resinous hops hit you first upon sipping accompanied with a sharp bitterness that delivers all the way through the finish. Followed by this are flavors of lemon, and black pepper which opens up into an herbal tea with a slight white bread malt flavor. The body is fairly thin with medium to medium-high carbonation making it an easy sipper.

This is an excellent APA from a wonderful local NJ brewery. This Pale ale stays true to its style with the exception of the bitterness being on par with an IPA. This beer comes across as a crisp, refreshing, easy-drinking beer. Its citrus flavors are bright and appealing making it almost seem sweet. However, the peppery and herbal flavors seem to dry out some of that sweetness and the sharp bitterness lends a hand cutting through some of it as well creating a unique balance.